Google Quantum Research Slashes Bitcoin Attack Complexity by 20x to 500K Qubits in March 2026 Study

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According to Google Quantum AI research released in March 2026, a study conducted with the Ethereum Foundation and Stanford estimated that breaking Bitcoin's elliptic-curve cryptography could require fewer than 500,000 physical qubits, down roughly 20 times from previous estimates. The team analyzed secp256k1, the exact curve behind Bitcoin and Ethereum signatures, and suggested the attack computation could run in approximately nine minutes, narrowly within Bitcoin's average 10-minute block time. Gogioso and Herrmann, two quantum computing experts featured in a BeInCrypto panel, warned the industry treats the quantum threat too casually, noting even a 2% probability of such an event by 2030 would justify immediate preparation due to the trillions of dollars at risk.
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